


A Pool of Gray

by orphan_account



Series: Holiday Adventures [3]
Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: AU, Everyone's alive, M/M, Ugly Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 15:31:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3073067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kieren and Simon both accidentally wear ugly sweaters to Amy's party, not knowing it was formal</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Pool of Gray

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by the first idea in [this](http://captainasexual.tumblr.com/post/101982606084/fun-holiday-aus-for-you-to-consider-we-both-wore) post

The doorbell chimed, its joyous note filling the entire house. Kieren lazily headed down the hall. A large shadow covered the glassy door.

He opened the door to see Amy, her face glowing.

"Hey, handsome," Amy brightly began, pulling Kieren into a hug. Her arms were tightly wrapped around his slim body.

"Amy," Kieren weakly attempted, struggling to finish the sentence. The hug squeezed the breath out of him.

Amy took a small step back, allowing Kieren more space. She let her arms fall back to her sides.

"I'm having a holiday party at my place tonight," she continued, her explanation concise. "You can come, right?"

"Uh, yeah-" he started to reply, but he was abruptly cut off. Amy was skipping away cheerfully before he could find a sensible response in his thoughts.

***

Later, Kieren sat on the foot of his bed, his head resting on his hands, elbows firmly planted on his legs. Jem noticed him, appearing to be deep in thought, as she walked past his room. Curious, she stepped inside.

"What's up?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Amy's having a party tonight," Kieren began, "but I'm not sure what she expects me to wear. She left before I could ask."

Jem didn't respond, but instead headed to Kieren's closet. She began to dig around. After a moment's search, she yanked something out. She spun around to show Kieren her discovery. It was a sweater that Kieren never recalled purchasing.

He immediately understood why it had been long forgotten. It was vivid green, a sickening shade that repulsed him. A large tree decorated with fluorescent lights was plastered across the front. Kieren felt embarrassed just looking at it. Jem didn't really expect him to that, did she?

"I am not wearing that," he complained, wondering if Jem was making a cruel joke or not.

"Of course you are!" Jem quickly remarked back, laughing to herself. She launched it into Kieren's lap and coolly walked out without another word, as if she had been silently commanding him. Looking at it dully, he shrugged nonchalantly and pulled it over head, already looking ahead to the end of the evening when he could finally take it off.

***

That night, Kieren rang the doorbell to Amy's house. Within moments, she happily answered. She wore a strikingly colorful dress, not disimilar from the one she wore when she went to see Kieren earlier. However, she did not have a bright coat in a contrasting color layered over it.

She smiled widely when she saw Kieren, evidently excited to see him.

"You came!" She cheerfully greeted, reaching out to hug him. After another welcoming hug, she grabbed his hand, forcing him into the brightly-lit house.

"I want you to meet my friend," she mentioned, glancing over at Kieren as she spoke. She headed across the room, abandoning Kieren. He immediately lost her in the crowd of people. Looking to a group standing near him, he noticed they all wore formal clothes, a cluster of black and dull, pale colors. Why were they dressed so nicely?

Confused, his eyes rapidly scanned the whole room. They were everywhere. Fancy suits and elegant dresses. He immediately felt out of place, his insides heating up with embarrassment. He tried to avoid looking around as if he were being judged silently by everyone else in the room.

He looked around again after a moment to discover that Amy stood in a far corner, talking with a man Kieren did not recognize. Kieren felt a strange sense of comfort when he noticed that the other man was not dressed in a suit like everyone else. Like Kieren, the man wore a sweater too. However, his was a dark color, decorated with a pattern over it in a lighter color. Kieren's luminous sweater seemed flamboyant and over-the-top in comparison.

Kieren gradually crossed the room, trying to focus on each step to avoid being distracted by the other man. Kieren was oddly intrigued by him, although he couldn't comprehend why.

Amy failed to notice Kieren approaching them, instead too fixated on the other man as well. The man, however, seemed to spot Kieren out of the corner of his eye. His light eyes shot up and down as he observed Kieren coming closer to them, taking care not to appear too interested.

"Kieren," Amy eagerly started, finally acknowledging Kieren's arrival, "this is Simon. He's the one I was telling you about earlier. Simon, this is Kieren."

Simon offered his hand to Kieren, smiling slyly, almost as if hiding a secret.

"I guess I didn't tell you this party was formal," Amy laughed. "It's okay. Simon didn't know either. My fault."

Simon remained silent, his focused stare still on Kieren as if he had been entirely disregarding Amy's presence ever since he spotted Kieren for the first time.

Suddenly, without an explanation, Amy randomly scurried away.

Kieren's heart skipped a beat at the thought of being alone with Simon, even if it were for a short moment.

Simon looked over at Kieren, who had been avoiding his gaze. He revealed his small grin again, drawing Kieren's attention for a short-lived second.

All of a sudden, as if not thinking, Simon took Kieren's hand tightly, but not forcefully. Kieren allowed Simon to lead him into an empty side room.

Closing the door behind him, Simon spun around to face Kieren. He briefly, but thoroughly, scanned Kieren from top to bottom again. This time he looked as if he was noting Kieren's distinct features.

From across the room, Kieren spotted a glitter in Simon's large eyes.

"Kieren," Simon lowly whispered, grinning as he emphasized every syllable delicately. This was the first time Kieren heard him speak. Simon's voice was deep, deeper than what Kieren initially had in mind, its soothing echo bouncing off the walls like musical notes. Fascinated, Kieren couldn't resist gazing at Simon's smile.

Simon began to cross the room. Before Kieren could think, Simon was standing right in front of his face, so close to Kieren that he could observe the tiny details and outlines of the other man's eyes.

Then, Simon's lips softly brushed Kieren's. The transition felt natural. Kieren felt a shock through his body, but it was comforting. He wrapped his arms around Simon's waist, gently caressing the warm, soft material of his sweater.

As time passed, the kiss grew deeper. The secure sensation was unlike anything Kieren had ever experienced before.

They finally pulled apart. Simon stared adoringly at Kieren. His gaze was fixated on Kieren's large, brown eyes.

Suddenly, they could hear the rhythm of footsteps creeping outside, gradually getting louder, closer to the room. As the door creaked open, Simon jumped away from Kieren. Through the creak of the door, a flash of dark hair popped into the room. Amy.

"There you are!" She yelled as she entered the room. Her booing voice started Kieren, who was still in a daze as he thought about the warmth of Simon's lips.

"Amy," Simon coolly started, speaking in a relaxed tone as if nothing had just happened between him and Kieren, "I just wanted to talk with Kieren. Get to know him." He smiled at Amy.

"Isn't that great!" She hollered, slinging her arms around Kieren and Simon's shoulders.

***

Later that night, after the party ended, Kieren staggered back home and fell on top of his bed, too exhausted to change.

Jem stuck her head insider her brother's room to see him laying on his back.

"Was the party fun?" She wondered.

Kieren pulled himself up to face her.

"Yeah."


End file.
